Robotic vacuum cleaners (RVCs) are known in the art, and normally intended to move autonomously—i.e. without human supervision or guidance—through the rooms of a house. Consequently an RVC's outer shape is of particular importance. After all, any recess or projection that forms a potential point of engagement may cause the RVC to catch on something, e.g. a piece of furniture, and get stuck. If, in such a case, the RVC is incapable of releasing itself, it may have to be set free manually by its owner before it can continue its work. The call for a smooth outer shape is therefore primarily a matter of function, but it is noted that it may well be in line with the general pursuit of an aesthetically pleasing ‘clean design’.
At the same time, however, an RVC may be fitted with an internal, removable dust container that requires periodic emptying. To facilitate removal of the dust container from the housing of the RVC, the dust container may be provided with a handle or other hand-grippable feature. An obvious drawback of such a feature is that it increases the risk that the RVC is accidentally entangled during operation. This risk may, at least in some designs, be mitigated by providing the feature in a collapsible form, e.g. a hinged dust container handle that can be folded down into a corresponding recess in an outer wall of the housing of the RVC. Unfortunately, such solutions are hardly ever satisfactory from an aesthetic point of view, in particular because they may leave extra and rather perceptible seams or grooves, exclusively related to the technical dust container removal-functionality, in the visible outer surface of the RVC.